Lakeside Recovery had a largely successful regular season of Double-A American Legion baseball, but the end came surprisingly quick at last week’s Area 1 South District tournament.

Lakeside Recovery — comprised of 17-and-under players from Skyline, Issaquah and Newport high schools — opened the tourney with an 11-1 loss to Juanita, and didn’t find its groove in the next game either, suffering a season-ending 5-1 loss to the Monroe Legends on July 17 at Eastlake High School.

By Neil PiersonLakeside Recovery pitcher Jack Rooney keeps his team in the game for five innings.

By Kerry BakerTorey Anderson, who started as a freshman on the Liberty High School varsity baseball team last year, throws a pitch in the USSSA state championship game at Cheney Stadium July 9. His team, Eastside Select Sports 14U, won the game, 8-5.

The Lakeside Recovery 17-and-under American Legion baseball team is learning a difficult lesson this summer — it’s tough to play consistently when your roster is in turmoil.

Coach Chris Tamminen’s squad started the summer with 19 players. One moved away and another five got injured, leaving 13 players eligible for games. Working with a short bench hasn’t been an ideal situation, Tamminen said.

“It’s definitely hurt us as far as moves that we can make during in-game situations,” he said.

By Greg FarrarTyler Kim (left) of Lakeside Recovery, heads home on a ground-rule double as batter Gunnar Erickson heads for second base with an RBI on a dead ball signal by the umpire in the third inning June 27 against the Kennewick Bandits.

Lincecum, a 2003 Liberty High School graduate known as “The Freak” because of his unorthodox delivery, needed just 113 pitches to put away the Padres, compared to the 148 he used to no-hit the same team nearly a year ago.

Andrew Kemmerer, a 2012 Issaquah High School graduate, was named the 2013-14 Male Athlete of the Year at Edmonds Community College.

Kemmerer helped the Tritons baseball team win the 2014 Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges championship. He was a two-year starter at pitcher, and led the NWAACC in wins in his final season.

He’ll continue playing baseball next year for Central Arkansas University.

It’s not as though the Lakeside Recovery Senior American Legion baseball team had a poor 2013 season, but there wasn’t the same chemistry that carried the squad to the World Series in 2012.

Lakeside Recovery finished with a 10-2 record in Northwest League games last season, but was eliminated at the state tournament in July. The reason, longtime head coach Rob Reese said, is there weren’t enough leaders on a relatively inexperienced roster.

“We lost a lot of guys off the World Series team,” Reese said. “We had a few guys back, but they weren’t too vocal. And now they’ve grown up a little bit.”

By Neil PiersonDanny Sinatro, Lakeside Recovery shortstop, tags out a Phiten base runner during a June 4 Senior American Legion baseball game at Newport High School in Bellevue. Lakeside Recovery won, 4-2.